Vulnerability Analysis and Hazard Mitigation

Catalog description

The purpose of this course is to present students with data-based hazard mitigation experience. The course will cover core elements of the physical risks communities might face, aspects that might make communities more vulnerable or more resilient, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) state and local hazard mitigation plans, FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA), and hazard-evaluation frameworks. Student learning will be reinforced by writing a State Hazard Mitigation Plan (SHMP) and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) grant. Over the semester, you and your classmates will learn different tools and frameworks for evaluating the hazards faced by communities, while immediately applying that knowledge to write the major documents that govern hazard mitigation in the United States. At the end of the semester, you will submit your HMGP grant proposal in response to a (mock) request for proposals. This is a significant written document that relates many public health core competencies with emergency management specific skills. Generating a significant document through this course serves as an Integrated Learning Experience for students on the Emergency Management Track.